Attachments for vehicles for traversing heaped up material along the ground



y 31, 1956 D. R. BOMFORD 2,756,522

ATTACHMENTS FOR VEHICLES FOR TRAVERSING HEAPED UP MATERIAL ALONG THE GROUND Filed April 24, 1953 United States Patent ATTACHlWENTS FOR VEHICLES FOR TRAVERS- IgIG HEAPED UP MATERIAL ALONG THE ROUND Douglas Raymond Bomford, Salford Priors, Evesham, England, assignor to Bomford & Evershed Limited,

This invention relates to attachments to vehicles for traversing heaped up material along the ground and of the kind comprising an upright traverse wall or blade (hereinafter referred to as a blade) mounted so that its lower end may contact with and dig into the ground to a predetermined extent and which mounting permits the blade to be elevated. It has already been proposed to provide hand control means whereby the blade may be elevated a short distance so that should there be excessive resistance movement over the ground, for example due to the lower edge of the blade encountering either an obstruction or heavy ground, or digging too deeply into the ground due to pitching of the vehicle, it may be withdrawn upwardly at the will of the operator. An example of such a construction is described in Bristish specification No. 568,154.

An object of the present invention, is to provide a mounting which will" automatically raise the blade when the resistance movement reaches a predetermined amount. The invention is particularly applicable to comparatively low horse power vehicles.

According to this invention, an attachment of the type referred to above for a vehicle for traversing heaped up material along the ground, is characterised in that means responsive to the resistance to movement of the blade are arranged at a predetermined resistance to raise said blade and upon reduction of said resistance to lower the blade.

In a preferred construction the propulsion of said blade is effected through resiliently yielding means constituting the aforesaid means responsive to resistance of movement of the blade, which resiliently yielding means are arranged to raise and lower said blade.

The aforesaid blade may be supported by one or more skids or the like, so movably connected to the blade and to the resiliently yielding means, that yielding movement imparts relative movement between the skid or skids and the blade in an up and down direction.

The aforesaid resiliently yielding means may comprise a closed collapsible pivoted linkage and spring means restraining the linkage against collapse.

The linkage as a whole may be mounted at the forward end of propelling means which in its turn is mounted on a part of the vehicle so as to swing in an up and down direction consequent upon the relative movement between the skids and said blade.

In on construction according to the invention a skid may be attached to one end of a lever arm which is pivotally connected to the blade and a structure is arranged to project forwardly of the vehicle and has a part thereof pivotally connected directly to the upper part of the blade and a second part pivotally connected to said lever arm and spring means are arranged between the lever arm and blade so as to resist the push transmitted to the lever arm by the second part of the structure and which second part of the structure may be pivotaly connected to the vehicle.

Means may be provided for initially loading the spring means.

The following is a description of the construction of an 2,756,522 Patented July 31, 1956 ICC earth moving attachment to a power driven vehicle, reference being made to the accompanying drawing which is a diagrammatic side elevation of :one form of construction embodying the present invention.

Referring to the arrangement shown in the drawing .the vehicle is provided with a forwardly projecting sub-frame 10, and pivotally connected to said sub-frame on each side thereof are two forwardly. directed struts 511 and 12 which may swing about the same axis 13 in .an up and down direction. The two struts 11 and 12 are arranged to diverge in a vertical plane as they extend forwardly and the upper one 11 is pivotally connected at 14 to a rearwardly projecting lug 15 at the upper end of a curved upright blade 16 Which is to receive the heaped up material the concave face of the wall being directed forwardly. The forward end of the lower strut 12 is pivotally connected at 17 to an upwardly extending lever arm 18 near its lower end which lever arm is itself pivotally connected intermediate of its ends at 19 to a lug 20 on the rear of the curved blade. The upper extremity of the lever arm 18 is forked at 21, and straddles a rod 22 which is pivotal- 1y connected at 23 to yet a further lug 24 on the rear face of said Wall near the pivotal attachment 14 of the first said strut 11. The end of the rod is provided with a plate 25 and a helical compression spring 26 encircles the rod and abuts said plate and said fork. The plate may be adjustable along the rod whereby the initial strength of the spring may be adjusted, the end of the lever 18 abutting the lug 24 which thus constitutes a stop. A skid 27 is attached to the lower end of the lever arm 18 and to the lower extremity of a member 28 which extends downwardly and rearwardly from the other end of the lever arm. The skid is provided with a flat portion 29 as it extends rearwardly and then with an upwardly directed portion 39.

The aforesaid upper strut 11 is provided with an upwardlyextending portion 31 adjacent the pivotal connec- I tion 13 to the sub-frame 10 and pivotally connected to this upwardly extending portion at 32 is a control rod 33 which normally holds the upper strut stationary. The control rod, however, may be moved in a fore-and-aft direction by power means such as a hydraulically operated piston cylinder mechanism which may be energised by a pump forming a part of the equipment to the vehicle.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for traversing heaped up material along the ground comprising a propelling structure, two members pivotally connected to said structure to swing about the same axis and extending forwardly of said structure, one of said members having a part extending above said axis, an adjustable anchoring member pivotally connected to said part, an upright blade, an upright lever arm attached intermediate of its ends by a pivotal connection to the blade between the upper and lower edges thereof, a skid attached to the lower end of said lever arm, spring means between the upper end of the lever arm resisting pivotal movement thereof in a direction to lower the skid, a pivotal connection between the upper edge of the blade and that link which is connected to the anchoring member and a pivotal connection between the lower part of the lever arm and the other link.

2. An apparatus for traversing heaped up material along the ground comprising an upright blade, a propelling structure, a linkage connecting the blade to said structure, which linkage comprises a lever arm attached to the back of the blade intermediate the top and bottom thereof by a pivotal connection, which lever arm extends downwardly from that connection, a skid attached to the lower end of said lever arm and two other links, one pivotally connected between said propelling structure and said lever arm and the other connected at one end of the propelling t ructure and pivotally connected at the other end to the 3 v top of the blade; and spring means resisting the pivotal movement of said lever arm in a direction to lower the skid.

3. Anapparatus for traversing heaped up material along the ground comprising an upright blade, apropelling structure, a linkage connecting the blade to said structure, which linkage comprises a lever arm attached to the back of the blade intermediate of the top and bottom thereof by a pivotal connection, which lever arm extends above and belowthat connection, a skid attached to the lower 10 end of said lever arm and two other links, one pivotally connected between said propelling structure and said lever arm and the other connected at one end to the propelling structure and pivotally connected at the other end to a' point on the blade above the first said pivotal connection, and spring means resisting the pivotal movement of said lever arm in a direction to lower the skid and arranged between the upper end of the lever arm and the block.

References Cited in the tile of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 568,154 Great Britain Mar. 21, 1951 50,003 Norway Jan. 4, 1932 104,225 Sweden Feb. 12, 1942 

